Ancient & modern
THE It Girls — whatever 'It' is — are up in arms about their reputation as pin-headed parasites who would go to the opening of a lavatory door if it got their faces in a glossy magazine. Such mighty rage dwells in their soft bosoms that they are now demanding to be known as `working' girls. An unfortunate choice of epithet...
Socrates Socrates once had a meeting with such a 'working' girl called Theodote. She was of such stunning beauty that every artist wanted to paint her, and Socrates chanced to visit her while she was still posing. When the painter had
finished, Socrates remarked on the lavish appointment of her house and fine
dress-sense of her slaves, and asked her how she came by her money. On inquiry, it emerged she had no farm, no property and no slaves who worked at an economically productive craft — just a number of 'friends' who were inclined to be 'generous' to her.
Socrates is much impressed by this, pointing out that a flock of friends is a much greater asset than a flock of sheep and goats, but wonders if she simply leaves it to chance whether a `friend' wings his way towards her, or if she takes active steps to encourage them. Theodote claims not to under stand what he is talking about, and Socrates, adopting an analogy from hunting, suggests that she probably uses an agent, a human hound who will track down men of wealth and good taste and, once he has found them, drive them into her nets.
'What nets?' she asks conveniently — even this 'working' girl cannot be that stupid, can she? — allowing Socrates to
suggest two: her body and, more important still, her mind. It is her mind that
enables her to look charming, talk attractively and convince her `friends' that she really is fond of them.
Here, Socrates readjusts the hunting analogy, pointing out that the best human relationships do not in fact depend on force but creature kindness and mutual pleasure; and the way to encourage these traits in a 'friend' is to drop hints, through a combination of modesty and willingness to please, that she will be happy to accommodate him when the need arises.
Which raises the question Socrates asks at the beginning of the encounter: who should be more grateful to whom?
Theodote to her friends, or her friends to Theodote? It is a question of the bal ance of advantage — and the sight of Theodote's lifestyle leaves little doubt as to the answer. Carry on the good
'work', girls. Peter Jones
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